


Tapes

by ScullyLovesQueequeg



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Non-Consensual Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-26 13:13:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2653268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScullyLovesQueequeg/pseuds/ScullyLovesQueequeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dana Scully is pre-med college student who is about to learn the meaning of "Trust No One".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tapes

**Author's Note:**

> I was asked to write a story including the following elements:
> 
> \- A vase of dead flowers  
> \- A big pack of post-it notes  
> \- A VHS tape

Monday mornings made Scully learn to appreciate the weekends a lot more. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, and examined the red marks from last night. It was a dangerous game she played, but the thrill was new to her and she loved it. It was different from anything she was used to, and as she slowly applied foundation to hide the marks, she thought about Adam.

He was rough, she’d give him that. There weren’t any bruises, just scratches but she wouldn’t have been surprised if the next time left some; sometimes they got carried away. She had always excused it as one of Adam’s ways of keeping her interested in him. It worked. Since she had started dating her professor for physics, she had lost interest in her peers, much to the disapproval of her roommate, Ellen Porter. Try as she might, Ellen couldn’t set Scully up with one of her friends, and eventually, she gave up trying, and became more interested in finding the identity of this new boyfriend of hers.

"There is no boyfriend. I just want to concentrate on my studies, that’s all."

"Sure," Ellen said, once, when Scully was combing her hair and getting ready for class. From the mirror, Scully caught her roommate’s look—it was disapproval. "Is that why you come in so late sometimes?"

"Yes. Because I’m in the library studying."

"Anatomy, maybe." Ellen didn’t try to hide the teasing tone. But Scully was in too much of a good mood to pay Ellen much mind. Her thoughts were on Adam and the night they had spent together. It was enough to make her blush a little, but she headed for the door, to avoid discussing anything further with Ellen.

 As Scully made her way through the academic building, she was aware of the fact that she was late for class. Most professors didn’t care—it was college, after all. So, it didn’t bother her much when her professor barely acknowledged her and neither did the other students in the large lecture hall.

What did bother her, though was the look her TA gave her when she sat with her class section; it was a look that, had she known better, had lecherous intentions. She shook off the uneasy feeling the look gave her and soon forgot it, as she engaged herself in the lecture, but when she left, the feeling returned when she saw the TA purposely taking long, perhaps in an effort to time his departure with hers. She also slowed her pace, until she saw him finish and head for the door. She too finished packing, stuffing inside her bag a large pack of post-it notes and headed for the exit. She was surprised when her TA came up behind her, however, and followed her as she navigated her way to the library.

"Dana, hi," He started, and Scully hugged her textbook closer to her chest, feeling slightly exposed.  _There was no real reason to feel this way about him,_  her mind scolded, but her gut was telling her she was in danger.

"Oh, hello Roger." She did not look at him when he came up beside her.

"How’s your paper coming along? Good, I hope? I noticed you didn’t come for your scheduled session—you know, where everyone spends an hour doing some peer editing? I guess you must feel your paper is pretty good on its own… or did you not start it yet?"

Scully felt her guard lower. She had completely forgot about the appointment, having opted to spend time with Adam. She shifted her books in her arms, and offered an apology.

"I’m sorry, I forgot! I actually do need some help," Scully said, finally looking over at Roger. He had that lecherous look on his face once more, though he avoided her eyes. Scully felt uneasy again. "I’m busy now, though." She added, and Roger nodded.

"Well, I’m going to be free after 1, so please make sure you drop by. Wouldn’t want you to get a bad grade now…" Roger said, before walking off towards the other academic building. It was a very big relief when he walked off, and when she entered the library, the warm air made her feel safe—and sleepy. She decided that she wouldn’t see Roger—not alone, anyways.

About 2 hours into studying, she noticed that the same man passed by the table a couple of times—which was not so unusual, normally, but because of where she had situated herself(in a section of the library was that hidden mostly by the stacks, and with a desk that blocked the majority of distractions). It was an ideal spot to eat, study, or engage in an activity that was normally frowned upon, since it was so out of the way.

The next time the person passed, she called to them, and they stopped, and walked over.

"Do I know you?" She asked, though her tone was more confused than angry. He smiled, though it was insincere and hiding a motive. It reminded her of the look Roger gave her earlier and she shuddered.

"I don’t think so."

"There has to be a reason why you keep coming here then. It’s just me down here, and I don’t think you’re looking for books, so why are you over here?" Her tone was saturated in suspicion, and that made the man take a step back.

"I really was looking for a book. You’re really paranoid, you know that?" He added that last part almost defensively, but then folded his arms over his chest, and chuckled to himself.

"What’s so funny?"

"You. I think I do know you. You do porn?" He asked, and Scully’s entire face went red.

"If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to get campus security!" The man held up his hands defensively, and muttered an apology before stalking off. Scully felt the bile rise in her throat, and promptly closed her books. There was no way she felt like studying now, she just wanted to cry. She wasn’t sure what had scared her more, the thought that he probably had the same thing in mind her TA had, or that she felt unsafe just being in the library and studying.

***

 ”Do no harm, Dana. You’re not supposed to let the flowers die,” Ellen said, rolling over in her bed and looking over at her roommate. It was Friday, and despite the bad week it turned out to be for Scully, she was glad for it, because it meant that when she went to Adam’s place, he would probably pamper her for having suffered through it.

"I know, but I don’t like flowers… I don’t like touching them or just… I don’t know." Scully’s eyes did not move from her textbook on the table.

"Weird. Even weirder than the fact that it’s a Friday afternoon and you’re studying. Do you have any plans?" Ellen asked, crawling out from under the covers. She’d been in bed up until recently, being that she had no classes on Friday, unlike her roommate.

"I do, actually, I’m going to spend the weekend at home." Scully said, in a way that implied she had been looking forward to it for a while. Ellen smirked.

"Sure, just like you were going to study group yesterday. Is that why you’re wearing that choker? It looks ridiculous on you."

Scully touched the gaudy piece of jewelry self-consciously, as she pondered the consequences of foregoing it while she spent the rest of her time studying. She paused only momentarily in her reading, but promptly continued, deciding that Ellen’s input was not only unneeded, but unwelcome.

"If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked, thanks."

Ellen climbed out of bed and padded to the window, before grabbing her towel from the chair and her shower stuff.

"Well, I’m going to a party later so I might as well get ready now. You know Josh Denview, right? His dad owns one of the residence halls or something—well, he’s driving me to a party later and then I’ll probably crash there—I’ve been trying to get with Josh since forever—anyways, I hope you have a good time ‘at home’." Ellen said. Scully gave her a halfhearted answer, but poured all of her attention into her work to avoid thinking of what was to come later: her appointment with Roger.

"You should come to the party. You’d be pretty popular." Ellen said, musing over Scully’s tense form that was mouthing the words she was copying on to index cards.

"Why? I don’t know anyone. Besides, I have an appointment with my TA." Scully mentioned, finally giving Ellen her attention. She looked worn, Ellen noted. That made the older girl frown.  _When was the last time she saw Dana have any fun?_

"Well, people know  _you_. There’s a rumor going around that you do porn.” Ellen said, as though this was common knowledge. There was an ache in Scully’s chest, like she had been hit, and she felt the wind knocked out of her. That explained a lot of how people had been treating her, lately. The whispers, the stares, the concerned looks… things were falling into place, but the question remained,  _what was causing people to think this?_

"Well, I don’t. I think you’d know if I did…" Scully said, though Ellen did not look too sure.

"Well, you always disappear on the weekends, so it’s entirely plausible that you do it then—not that I think you do, of course, you’re as timid as a mouse, and I don’t even think you masturbate, but…" Scully’s face was a bright red and buried in her hands, in an effort to stave off the suggestion of tears that were beginning to prickle at the edges of her eyes.

"Does everyone think that I was in a porno?"

"Well, no, not everyone," Ellen said quickly, in an effort to undo the damage she had already done to her roommate. "Just some of the guys… but you know, talk spreads—I’m sorry Dana…"

"Why does everyone think this?" Scully asked, trying to maintain some semblance of being indifferent.

"I don’t know. There’s rumors that you were in one, and some people saw it. They swear it was you in it. And you know… now that you’re dressing differently than you did when you started here… people talk, you know…"

"How I dress has nothing to do with anything I do in or outside of school! And I don’t dress differently!"

"Dana, you ever seen the movie Grease? You know, with John Travolta and uh Olivia Newton John?"

"No, but I saw Xanadu and I loved it…" Ellen gave her a look that told Scully what she thought of that movie.  _Trash._

"Okay, well, at the beginning of Grease, everyone makes fun of Sandy because she’s a plain Jane and the guy she’s in love with his this bad boy greaser… so she struggles with being herself, or being the kind of girl that would fit his image while ironically, he’s working to be the kind of guy to fit her image, and eventually, at the end of the film, they both do a dance number and she’s like super sexy Sandy. That’s you. You’re super sexy Sandy now. When you started, you were plain Jane Sandy. The question is, who is your Danny?"

Scully shook her head disapprovingly; she didn’t think she dressed  _so_  differently. She liked dressing to impress Adam, and sometimes, he got her clothes that she wore for him, too. It was not very far off from what she normally wore, she didn’t think. Maybe it was the make-up? Scully couldn’t be sure, but she dismissed Ellen’s claims once more as unwarranted.

"I’m not doing any porn. I’m just living a little less cautiously. That doesn’t mean anything, doesn’t everyone experiment in college."

"Yes, that’s true. You know, I’ve never smoked weed before, but I hear the party will have a lot of it. Last chance if you want to go." Ellen urged her, but Scully’s mind was made up.

"No, I think I’ll stay here. I don’t even think I’m going to go to see my TA. Have a good time." Scully said, though her tone on the last statement was sarcastic and insincere. Ellen rolled her eyes, but headed out of the room to go shower.

***

The journey to Adam’s apartment on the other side of town was largely uneventful, and was marked by a couple bus changes, some walking, and looking over her shoulder. That was the thing about living on a campus that had very little to do in or around it; those without a car were forced to wander as far as public transportation took them, and as a result, Scully could not be certain that someone would find out where she was going. It was not illegal for her to be sleeping with her professor, but it raised the question of impropriety, and not to mention he was much older than her, as well.

When she arrived at the door, she slid the key into the lock easily enough, and the resulting  _thunk_  that signified that the apartment was unlocked, to her sounded as though it were audible by everyone in the building. She pushed out a small sigh and slipped into the apartment.

The first thing that she noticed was that it was incredibly cold. Presumably, Adam had left the windows open. Scully drew her coat around her tighter and moved to close the windows, and subsequently tidy up the papers that had scattered in the wind. Most of the papers were pertaining to school work, but there was one that stuck out. It was a list of names, and there was a price next to some and a series of numbers. Her curiosity was piqued, but she didn’t want to snoop. She fixed the papers and set them on the table, and made her way to the bedroom to see if maybe Adam was sleeping.

The bedroom was empty. She removed her coat and climbed into bed, half because she wanted to surprise her lover and also because she felt safe and protected in the bed. She wrapped herself in the blankets and it wasn’t before long that she fell asleep. Her dreams were troubled; in her dream she was naked and everyone was laughing at her. She desperately tried to hide behind Adam, but he stepped aside and exposed her for everyone to see. In her dreams, Adam always exposed her.

When she woke up, she was aware that she was alone, and that there was someone else in the apartment. She thought it was Adam, so she got up to check, but when she saw another woman she wasn’t familiar with rifling through his papers, her heart caught in her throat and she fled for his room again to hide. The other woman hadn’t noticed Scully but she headed for the bedroom anyway, since she was looking. Scully was in the closet, mouthing a prayer that she wasn’t found as she watched through the slotted wooden panels. The woman yanked open a drawer, rummaged through and stopped, momentarily. Then she yanked open the closet Scully was hiding in. When she spotted Scully, she was startled, but she dragged the girl out, who was begging not to be killed.

"Who are you?!" The woman demanded, and Scully scrambled for the door. She expected the woman to chase her, but when she didn’t, Scully chanced it and looked back. The woman was fixated on something that was in the closet, and feebly Scully answered,

"I’m Adam’s girlfriend… there must be some kind of mistake…"

"Is your name Dana, by any chance?" The woman asked, not looking at her. Scully wandered back over, but kept herself just out of arm’s reach.

"Yes, how do you know?"

"Well, I’m guessing you’re on those tapes, then." The woman said, finally looking over at Scully. She didn’t seem happy, but she didn’t seem to be as angry as before. Scully glanced up at where she’d been staring at just moments prior, but when she reconciled with what she was seeing with what she knew, it didn’t make sense.

There was a jolt of shock that paralyzed her, and for a moment, she refused to process what was happening.  _Why did Adam have tapes with her name on them?_

"You didn’t know?" The woman asked, frowning. Noting the look on Scully’s face, she couldn’t help but feel bad for the younger girl.

"I don’t—I don’t know what’s on those tapes, and I’m assuming you’re his wife… I didn’t know he had a family. I’ve never seen him wear a ring," Scully said, finally peeling her eyes away to look at the woman. "If I knew he had a family, I would never have continued this…"

The woman seemed more disturbed than angry, and gave a large sigh.

"It seems like we’ve both been played. Make no mistake, I’m not your friend or condoning this but…  _You’re so young_. And the look on your face when I opened the door was of real terror, so I suspect you didn’t know who I was. And you don’t know about the tapes, so I guess I’ll do you another favor if you promise to leave and not come back.”

But Scully knew she would not be coming back—not after being lied to so blatantly.

"Adam has this thing about how he looks," The woman explained, "Like he likes to watch himself having sex, so we used to tape ourselves having sex so he could watch it later on. I never minded because it wasn’t really a big deal to me and he always asked me if it was okay, but…"

"Oh my god," Scully said, feeling the bile rise in her throat once again. Her stomach was turned into impossible knots and she felt lightheaded, so she made her way to the bed to sit. The woman kept talking, but all Scully could hear was static.

"—hey are you okay? You don’t look so good, you’re white as a sheet…" She said, and Scully opened her mouth to speak. Her voice was small and tired sounding, suddenly.

"It’s much worse than just being recorded without my knowledge—I didn’t think of it but he’s been showing other people the tapes. I didn’t realize it at first because I thought it was just because I was wearing the clothes he had gotten for me but now I realized that he must have made copies and gave them out—that’s why everyone thinks I do porn…" Scully’s tone had grown higher, and her words tumbled together so that the woman could barely understand her, but Scully ran off for the bathroom, and the woman sighed, moving over to the closet to collect the tapes, and to see what was on them.

The first tape was mostly Scully and her husband speaking.

"I’m a little nervous—this isn’t my first time, but I’ve only ever been with one other person…" Scully, on the tape, said.

"I’ll be gentle," Adam’s voice came through, just as Scully wandered back into the room. She said nothing, watching in horror as the scene unfolded.

"Turn it off," Scully muttered, stumbling over to the VCR and stopping the tape. She ejected it, and collected the rest of the tapes that were splayed out on the bed. The woman watched her as Scully looked around for something to smash the tapes with.

"Help me get rid of these," Scully mumbled, half to herself, and half to the other woman, who just watched Scully fumble around until she started to smash the tapes with her foot. She watch the rage, redirected into angry and forceful stomping until finally there was a firm knock on the door, and the downstairs neighbor demanded that they stop. Even after that, she continued, until the pieces were so small that they were impossible to recover. Then she used a scissor to cut the ribbons and then used bleach on everything that was left. All this the woman watched until Scully ran out of steam, and collapsed on the bed.

"He probably made copies." The woman said, folding her arms over her chest. Scully lifted her head weakly, and croaked out her response, which was half way through "Help me", and "Please don’t let him do this to me". The corner of the woman’s mouth pulled up, but she helped Scully with her coat, and pick up whatever remained of the tapes.

"We should probably go…" The woman said, and Scully nodded thickly, her mind elsewhere. The woman felt bad for her, and putting aside her anger and indignation, she drew her arm around Scully and took her out to get something to eat.

When they were at the diner, Scully still was nonverbal. She barely moved, and when it came time to order, she pointed to some fries, and a shake, but barely touched them. The woman was growing worried, but wasn’t sure what to do.

"This isn’t your fault. I’m not upset with you… I mean, I don’t—I don’t like that you slept with my husband, and honestly, if this hadn’t happened to you, and you weren’t so young and wholesome looking, I probably would have tried to kill you but—"

"Mrs. Crawford, do you have children?"

"You can call me Laura. We have a son named Steven." She said, a little surprised by the question. Scully excused herself to go to the bathroom.

When she came back, she tried eating again.

"Why did you want to know about my son?" Laura asked, watching her eat. It was like watching someone very close to the edge.

"I wanted to know how many lives I was destroying, beside my own, I suppose. Yours, your kid’s, mine… I don’t care about Adam anymore. Obviously, he doesn’t care about me. If he cared, he would have told me that he was married, and that he was taping us."

"He lied to me, and you, and I’m sorry that you caught in the middle, Dana."

"I’m not sorry. I guess it had to happen. Up until this point, I trusted everyone; I thought that—I thought that people were always sincere, and I guess that was naive of me, but I’ve learned that people can turn on you, and for little reason too. Thank you for being honest with me. Thank you for this, and just opening my eyes, I guess. It was a lesson I had to learn, and now I just have to do damage control, I guess." Scully said, her gaze drifting out the window. The diner was so brightly lit in contrast to the deep darkness outside that there were spots in her eyes when she looked away. But it was just as well that she couldn’t see outside, because as far as she was concerned, the lonely nature of the diner was exactly how she felt at the moment.


End file.
